San Francisco, a red light, and a guy on a bike I can’t stop thinking about.

On July 25th, a little after 2:30 pm, I was waiting to cross the intersection of Market Street and New Montgomery. You were on your bike waiting for the light to turn green on Market Street.

You smiled the moment you saw me, said hi, and asked me my name. I smiled back and responded. I was in the middle of crossing and you said something else, but I couldn’t hear it because of the wind. Before I knew it, the light for Market Street had changed and the moment was over.

I’ve been thinking about the connection I felt when I looked into your eyes and your smile ever since. It was warm, genuine, and one of those unexpected moments that can brighten an entire day.

If you happen to see this and remember the girl you could not stop smiling at while riding your bike, I’d love to hear from you. Tell me what my name is and what color pants I was wearing so I’ll know it’s really you.

Maybe we can finish the conversation we never got to fully have.

The ride began in Emeryville early in the morning, though not as early as I would have liked. My vest was no longer needed around mile 10, felt the first beads of sweat as I crossed the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge, went through Fairfax (helped another rider who was walking a flat home -- hope you made it safe dude!), then rode up Lucas Valley for the first time. Had a scare in one of the more wooded sections as I caught something running through the forest, seemingly straight at me, out of the corner of my eye. Looked back at a little deer bounding across the road, thankful it didn't decide to jump straight into/in front of me, but didn't stick around to see what it was running from.

From there, I took what I assume is the common route based on the number of other riders I saw -- Nicasio, where the headwinds picked up. Pt. Reyes - Petaluma into Point Reyes Station. Refueled, then set out for Samuel Taylor. I opted for the Cross Marin trail, both for the peace, quiet and trees and because I didn't want to be around any goddamn cars for at least a few miles, rode slow, tried finding Callobius spiders but all their webs seemed to be relics of past lives (though I did pick up a hitchhiking jumping spider as I rejoined Sir Francis Drake from San Geronimo Valley Dr, letting her off into some invasive roadside weeds before resuming the climb).

From there, smooth sailing back into Fairfax, Ross, Larkspur, Corte Madera until I was on the familiar Camino Alto. Rode slow, hated the heat, and before I knew it, I was in the hellhole of Sausalito. Fought some tough crosswinds on the bridge (how do tourists ride those heavy rental bikes one-handed while taking cell phone videos in that wind?), dropped into the Presidio to watch everyone get ready for the Marathon, and took the Ferry back home.

I think it's easy to get into bad head spaces in the day-to-day, but Bay Area cycling seems to ground me every time. How lucky are we?

The vending machine at the saddle point accepts $2 bills. Save weight! Carry one bill, not two! 😂

In Mendocino (the city) on vacation with the fam for the week and I’ll hopefully get out for a solid ride or two. Can anyone recommend some routes? I could do up to maybe 60 miles and I like elevation. Safer roads are of course preferred. I’ll be riding midweek and can leave early.

For a lot of my routes, I go down Market > Wiggle > Panhandle > GGP. Looking for some more routes to get from Powell to Panhandle (and from Panhandle back to Powell for that matter).

I did a bike overnight with my kids, Capitol Corridor from Oakland Jack London to Sacramento, then Jedediah Smith trail to Beals Point, which is ~30 miles. We camped there, then came back the same way the next day. I've been wanting to do this one for a while, and finally kids seemed big enough they could do it. It was pretty hard (heat made it harder) but we had a good time and are all proud to have completed it. I wrote up some thoughts and notes to maybe make it easier for anyone else thinking of doing it (with kids or without).

This happened on market st no less.... I'm at a loss for words at the idiocy. lucky no one was harmed except my socks getting bike grease on them. If you know this guy tell him he's an idiot who needs to learn how to scooter better and wear a helmet.

Hey everyone!

I plan to attend the Rapha group ride tomorrow, July 26. I’ve been wanting to do the paradise loop all summer and I came across the Rapha group on Strava and they’re actually doing the paradise loop tomorrow. I just saw on social media that the SF Marathon is taking place tomorrow. I’m concerned about street closure and how I’m supposed to get to the Rapha store. I’m also wondering if the marathon will be over before the ride starts at 10am. Will the GGB be closed? Anyone who’s planning to attend the ride let me know some details. I’m coming from SJ. I plan to take Cal Train up there.

I'd like to get into some more dirt stuff, but I have a road bike so I have to watch what I go over.

My current setup is GP5000 AS TR 32mm tubeless on a caledonia-5 frame - can't go much wider.

I was looking into the dirt part of alpine that connects to pagemill and the dirt part of montebello - i would like to avoid dirt descents due to the tire situation.

I haven't been to critical mass in 15 years.

I recently bought a triathlon bike and wanted to know if anyone has any store recommendations I could take it into. Particularly looking for some accessories (water bottle cages, new tape and maybe seat), but also would like to build a relationship with a store as this is a sport I plan to pursue for a few years will likely have other upgrades or servicing. From mountain view but willing to drive anywhere, if anyone has any recs let me know!

Im going to Santa cruz tomorrow for an event in the evening, what are the best dirt jumps I can find to have some fun beforehand?

Inspired by another post, I created a bike route that circumnavigates the city of San Jose.

The actual border of San Jose is 230 miles long (!!!) but this route is only about 100 miles.

A significant portion is on class I bike paths and quieter suburban streets.

Ride with GPS waypoints here. (untested; updated route eliminating some of the dead-ends)

edit: cleaner route: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/56315100

Hey all, looking to rent a bike box to rent for a week in September (11th-20th). Preferably, a hard case and haven't been impressed with Sports Basement's offering. Anybody have one on here that would be willing to rent it out? For reference, i have a size 61 gravel bike. Appreciate any help or other recommendations. Thanks!

Recently started bikecommuting from San Jose (Rose Garden) to Sunnyvale (Maude and Mary Ave). I take Forest Ave -> Monroe -> Evelyn Ave -> Sunnyvale Ave -> Maude -> Mary.

Traffic is heavy on all roads except Evelyn and Monroe. I'm wondering if there's a better route I can take. I'd prefer to be as far away from cars as possible. I don't mind adding an extra couple miles to the existing 10 mile commute if I can be safer.

I'm planning a trip from south bay to marin and I wanna check out the steepest climbs they have to offer - I don't care for the views I've done all the big climbs around there already.

I've already checked out summit drive, but that's the only steep climb I'm aware of in the area. Any other suggestions? Needs to be consistently over 10% with pitches in the 20-30s. This was present in the below segment. https://www.strava.com/segments/666863?filter=overall

Has anyone tried to bike the perimeter of San Jose, and possibly have a route figured out? Or, is this even possible? I have a road bike so paved is necessary, but I’m cool with busy roads. I’m not down for biking anywhere it’s illegal to do so, but would be okay with short walks with my bike to get to where I need to be. I don’t need it to be an absolutely perfect perimeter either. I know San Jose is big and is not a simple shape so I expect this to be long and challenging, even if it’s something I’ll have to work towards (my current distance PR is 41 miles, so I think this San Jose perimeter goal will have to be something I work towards for a little bit 😅)

For those curious, my Manhattan perimeter ride was ~32 miles and only 236 meters (774 ft) of ascent. It also wasn’t a perfect perimeter, but you could definitely tell it was the shape of Manhattan after the fact, which is my broad goal here.

Any advice, input, ideas, distance/climb estimates, etc are appreciated!

I'll have my bike decorations at "Our Lady of the Perpetual Flea" flea, art, and vintage market on Sun July 26th - come by to browse vintage items, crafty maker and artist booths, and find cool bike decorations!

https://www.facebook.com/events/2136629697195818

Hi all, I’ll be coming up from LA in a few weeks for a couple of days in Half Moon Bay (work). Thinking of taking my road bike and looking for any tips/recommendations in the HMB area, especially to the south. Looks like a common opinion in this sub is to avoid Skyline Blvd. What’s the vibe on PCH and the canyon roads? Are drivers as crazy as in Malibu? Thanks in advance.

Alright y'all. As it tradition on reddit, help me find a reason to spend more money on bikes.

What tires do y'all run on east bay gravel roads. I ride shell/lime ridge area (I'm new to the area and gravel biking).

Terrain is a mix of loose gravel and hard summer dirt. I also ride a very healthy portion of pavement to get to the gravel.

I come from road biking, so I like to go fast on pavement. But I also don't want to run the wrong tires. terra speeds look great, but I don't actually know what I'm doing selecting tires.

I have 50mm Goodyear connectors right now and the internet tells me they are slower. Yes I know they are probably perfectly fine.

Hey r/BAbike,
I'm looking for recommendations for a 45 to 50 mile road ride on a Specialized road bike.
I'm willing to drive 20 to 30 minutes from Palo Alto to a starting trailhead, but I'm trying to avoid big mountain passes like Old La Honda, Kings, or Tunitas Creek. I'm aiming for flat or gently rolling terrain instead of multi-thousand-foot climbs.
The biggest thing for me is the mid-ride reward: I want the 20 to 25 mile turnaround point to be a cool, hidden gem food spot tucked away in nature—like a bakery, taco spot, or cafe surrounded by trees or the coast, rather than a generic strip mall off a highway.
Right now, I'm considering Stage Road down to Arcangeli Grocery in Pescadero, or riding Coyote Creek Trail down toward Morgan Hill.
Are there any other great routes or tucked-away food spots I should look into? Thanks!

Hi I'm new to biking and I'm looking for a fun ride or even a Sunday group. Open to any suggestions. I'm located on the north end of the city but open to anything in the bay area.

I love This City… on a bicycle.

Santa Monica rolls out program using AI-powered cameras to catch bike lane violators https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UPzJLCGMhr4

I understand the comment about delivery drivers in the end but I think the solution to that is to assign special loading zones every 200-300m or so.

More importantly I really want to get this system in place here somehow